interesting thread. if i understand the op's question, it's not whether a $7k levinson or cary will sound better than, say, a $1.5k onkyo; rather it's whether the sonic improvement is cost-effective. that, necessarily, is a very subjective determination. personally, i don't watch a lot of action movies or multichannel dvd concerts; for my usual diet of "pawn stars" and nfl i'm okay with my lesser denon/integra gear. the other consideration is that however much their makers claim that they're "future-proof", pre/pros probably depreciate and become obsolescent faster than any other component. i see an awful lot of once-sota pre/pros listed here for a tiny fraction of their original price. ergo, if you're not determined to have the latest-and-greatest codecs and gizmos, you can get some great bargains.
Diminishing Returns In A Hi-End Preamp/Processor?
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I will always have a separate 2-channel preamp in my system, period. That being said, the two-channel performance in a processor for me means absolutely nothing. I have a stand-alone home theater system.
Therefore, all other components in the system being equal, can the home theater sound of a $1500 processor approach the performance of a $7500 processor like the Anthem D2v?
In a $7500 pre/pro, how much of that is 2-channel excellence? I don't want to pay for what I don't use.
If I've got a killer 2-channel preamp, superior 2-channel performance in a pre-pro is redundant and wasteful.
So, my question is, as you go up the pre-pro price chain starting at $1500, does the processing get proportionately better, or is performance of the 2-channel getting markedly better?
mitch
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I will always have a separate 2-channel preamp in my system, period. That being said, the two-channel performance in a processor for me means absolutely nothing. I have a stand-alone home theater system.
Therefore, all other components in the system being equal, can the home theater sound of a $1500 processor approach the performance of a $7500 processor like the Anthem D2v?
In a $7500 pre/pro, how much of that is 2-channel excellence? I don't want to pay for what I don't use.
If I've got a killer 2-channel preamp, superior 2-channel performance in a pre-pro is redundant and wasteful.
So, my question is, as you go up the pre-pro price chain starting at $1500, does the processing get proportionately better, or is performance of the 2-channel getting markedly better?
mitch
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